Blind Love
by EnchantedBella0916
Summary: Recovering from heartbreak is hard enough, but now Kimberly faces betrayal as well. She never broke up with Tommy, but he got a letter from her that said otherwise. Kimberly also got a letter and Tommy broke up with her. Both learn that the letters were fabricated by her mother to force Kimberly to focus more on her mother's goals for her life than her own. Will they recover? Ch. 3
1. Chapter 1

Bright sunlight shone in through the curtains of the sliding glass door in the bedroom of the tiny apartment on 107th Avenue in Miami, Florida. Kimberly stretched and groaned as her face was illuminated in a punk hue from her curtains. She did not want to be awake. She did not want to get out of bed. She did not want to go to practice. Her recent trip home had been a nightmare and she was exhausted. It was supposed to be relaxing and fun and instead it was just a total nightmare. If getting kidnapped by an alien pirate and used as a sacrifice to raise a lava monster wasn't bad enough, she'd spent the following days watching her ex and her successor snuggle and giggle and do couple-y things that made her want to vomit. It just got to be too much so, the day after the karate tournament that saved The Little Angels Haven, she left. She didn't say a word to any one, she just got on a plane and left. It made her stomach turn seeing Tommy with Kat. She still didn't understand what he saw in her or why he had broken up with her. The letter she got had said that he just couldn't handle the distance but he had flown out there more than once on a weekend to spend time with her and she had done the same. Jason had convinced her to fly home with him and at least try and get some answers from Tommy but he seemed far more interested in Kat than he was with her. She supposed that the only time she mattered was when she was near death. Either way, there was nothing left for her there. She got home the night before and had planned on going to practice today but now she got up long enough to close her black out curtains and climb back in her bed. She had just gotten comfortable when there was a loud knock at her front door.

"What the hell," she grumbled, getting out of bed and adjusting her bunched up pink moon and stars pajama shorts and quickly adjusted her white spaghetti trap tank that had twisted in her restless sleep. The knock persisted and she responded with a loud, "I'm coming, geez." She walked out of her bedroom and past the kitchen counter to her front door and opened it.

* * *

 **Twenty Four Hours Earlier**

"Hey has anyone seen Kim," Jason asked the group sitting around a table at the Juice Bar. Everyone shook their heads.

"The last time I saw her was at the arena," Kat said, giving Tommy's hand a supportive squeeze under the table. She knew seeing Kimberly was hard for him after he had gotten her letter and she had done her best to make him feel better. He had asked her to at least make it seem like they were a couple because it was too hard for him to see Kim and Jason together. He didn't want her to feel bad for walking away from their relationship. He just wanted her to be happy. So he faked happy this whole time so that she wouldn't beat herself up, which he knew she would do if she knew he was miserable without her.

"She's not at her hotel and all of her stuff is gone," Jason said, looking concerned.

"You don't think she left, do you," Adam asked, "I mean maybe after what happened, she decided to go home."

"But she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye," Jason said, sitting down, "I mean, maybe she would but I don't know."

"Well, look man, we can help you look for her. She has to be here somewhere, but I mean you would know before we would, wouldn't you," Tommy said and Jason furrowed his brow, clearly confused.

"What makes you think I would know," Jason asked.

"We all just kind of assumed that, you know, you guys coming home together," Adam said, swallowing hard because this wasn't easy to say, "That you two were…."

"What Adam is trying to say is that we all assumed that you were the other guy that she referenced in her break up letter to Tommy a while back," Tanya spit out, making Tommy wince. Jason looked at each of their faces, confused and amused. He started to laugh.

"I don't know what letter you all are talking about but Kim and I are not together," Jason said, "I had to convince her to come home. She flat out refused."

"What are you saying, Jason," Tommy asked, "Why didn't she want to come home?" Jason's eyes shifted and he let out an exhausted sigh. He pulled out his wallet, opened it and pulled out a seriously bent up piece of paper and tossed it in Tommy's direction.

"She threw that at me the first time I asked her that question and told me to burn it because the last thing she wanted was the memories of this place because her heart was broken," Jason said, "I don't know why but something told me to hold onto it." Tommy picked up the paper and unfolded it. It was a letter to Kim that appeared to be from him. He was breaking up with her in it. Saying that he had fallen for Katherine and that the distance was too much for him on top of school and keeping up with his martial arts. Tommy looked up at Jason, "I didn't write this."

"Well someone did," he said, looking in Kat's direction.

"It wasn't me," the blonde Australian protested, "I would never try to hurt either of you like that." Tommy pulled out the letter he had received and laid it next to the one that Kim had gotten from him.

"Who would do this and why," Tommy asked, looking at each of his friends.

"Well clearly someone that didn't want the two of you together," Tanya said, "But do we even know anybody that would go to this kind of grief to break you guys up? It just seems like a long way to go to see two people miserable."

"I mean, even I would look at me after everything I did when I was under Rita's spell," Kat said, "But my feelings aside, Tommy, I swear I didn't do this."

"I believe you," Tommy said, "I know this wasn't you." He was examining the letters and he recognized the way Kim's name was written in the letter from himself. He started shaking his head.

"Who was it," Adam asked. Tommy just stood and folded both letters and put them in his pocket. He walked over to Ernie and asked to use the phone. The others watched in utter bewilderment as he made phone call after phone call and then after almost an hour he came back to the table.

"She left," Tommy said, "The hotel said she checked out this morning. The clerk said he called her a cab to the airport himself. The airline said the flight took off about an hour ago. There's a long layover in Denver but the only flight I could book was a red eye and I won't get there until early tomorrow morning."

"You really are the white knight, aren't you," Tanya said with a smile. Tommy just kind of nodded. He tapped his index finger on the table and looked at Jason, who was still puzzling over who would go to such lengths to hurt his friends like that.

"Figured it out yet," Tommy asked and Jason looked up at him with a raised brow.

"No," Jason said, crossing his arms over his chest, "Care to enlighten us?"

"The only person that hates me with a passion," Tommy said, growing angrier by the minute. Jason hung his head, knowing immediately who Tommy was talking about. He shook his head and looked up at Tommy, feeling awful for him and for Kimberly too.

"Carol," Jason said. Tommy nodded and then ran his hands through his hair and walked around the table to sit down.

"Kimberly's mother," Kat said, leaning into the table, utterly surprised, "But why?"

"Because," Jason started, "Carol poured all of her money into Kimberly's gymnastics. She pressured her to take it as far as she could possibly go. She injured herself at a young age and lost her chance at Olympic gold so she put all of those dreams on Kim. When Tommy came along, Carol saw him as a threat to her investment. She's always thought you would derail Kim's career."

"Its her dream," Tommy said, "I wouldn't have ever stopped her from following her dream. I told her mother that more than once."

"Yeah but just you saying that means Kim never told you what happened when Coach Schmidt came here," Jason said and Tommy raised an eyebrow so Jason continued, "Carol pushed her to audition for him. To go train with him. Kim told her she didn't want too, that she was happy here. Carol guilt tripped her about all of the money she had put into her career and that Kimberly wasn't going to just throw all of it away for some guy. Kim argued back that she didn't even enjoy it anymore and hated what it was doing to their relationship. Not to mention the strain it had already put on you two. Carol went on a rampage about Kim's dreams and her dreams and all the things she had done and given up and gone through for Kim to get this far and that she would go train for Schmidt or Kimberly would be cut off. Disowned. Disinherited. Carol even threatened to ruin her reputation, make her out to be a whore or something. It was awful. So she went and here we are."

"Geez," Kat said, "Sounds like Mommie Dearest. I can't imagine." Tommy just shook it off. He just needed to get to her.

"I'm gonna go home and pack and then I'm gonna head to the airport. See if I can't get bumped up to an earlier flight," Tommy said, turning to leave.

"Good luck, man," Jason said, "I really hope you guys can work it out."

"Thanks man," Tommy said and turned and left.

* * *

 **Present**

"What are you doing here," Kim asked, utterly confused to see Tommy at her front door at the crack of dawn. She couldn't help but think about how good he looked in his dark blue jeans and tight red t-shirt.

"We need to talk," he said, "Can I come in?"

"Sure," she said, clearly annoyed but she moved and motioned for him to enter the small apartment. He took notice of her cute messy bun and pj's and her adorable white tiger slippers that she had on her feet. She shut the door after he made it inside her apartment and set down his duffle bag and then she turned and stared at him with her arms crossed over her chest and her head cocked to one side.

"I am so sorry, first of all, for barging in like this," he said.

"Yeah, for real, what is so important that you couldn't have called," she groaned, tired beyond belief.

"This," he said, and grabbed her hand, pulled her into him and planted his lips on hers. She allowed it for less than a minute before she pushed him away.

"What the hell, Tommy," she all but screamed, "You can't just break up with me, like a coward, by the way, and then show up at my door and kiss me like that! Like nothing happened! I mean, what did you think? That I would just fall into you and we'd be together, no questions asked?"

"No, Kim," he said, "I came here because I didn't break up with you." She looked at him, with utter confusion.

"What are you talking about," she said, "I got your letter. You said…"

"I know what it said," he told her, reaching into his pocket and pulling out two folded pieces of paper and handed them to her, "Jason gave me yours. I got a letter too. From you." She took them and unfolded them both. She read his and then read hers and then she crumpled them both up and threw them across the room and let out a frustrated scream. He stood by the door and let her anger dissipate. She finally turned and looked at him, tears filling in her eyes. He knew they were angry tears.

"I hate her, Tommy," she said, "I hate her so much! This is a new low. I am so sorry."

"It's okay, Kim. You didn't do it to us," he said, taking a step toward her, holding his arms open to her.

"I know," she said, leaning into his chest and wrapping her arms around him, "but I'm angry at myself for not seeing it. I am so sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Beautiful," he said, "I should have fought for you harder."

"Honestly, I think we were both in such shock that we didn't even consider that we were being played. We were blindsided," she said and let go of him and rubbed her eyes and let out a yawn, "If that makes sense?"

"It does. It makes a lot of sense. I just don't understand why she would go to such lengths to see her own daughter miserable," he said, shaking his head, "It doesn't make sense."

"I think she thinks she's teaching me a lesson or something. That there will plenty of time for romance after I've achieved the dreams she never could. It doesn't matter that this isn't at all what I want anymore. It's not about my happiness, Tommy," she explained, "It's about her wounded pride and her own insecurities." She yawned again and walked into the kitchen to make coffee because nothing short of a miracle was going to keep her awake. Tommy followed her and leaned against the counter in the tiny kitchen.

"You drink coffee, now," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"This," she said, motioning to her bag of Seattle's Best, "Is the elixir of life and will be the only thing keeping me awake at this point. I am exhausted."

"So go back to bed," he suggested.

"And leave you out here to fend for yourself," she said with an edge of sarcasm, "I don't think so."

"Well, I will probably crash on your couch because I've been on an air plane all night and somebody's kid kept kicking the back of my seat," he explained, taking her bag of coffee and putting it back in her cupboard for her.

"Oh, no Tommy," she started to laugh, "You will be so uncomfortable on that couch. Its tiny. Come on." She took his hand and led him across the hall to her room. She kicked off her slippers and walked around to the side of her bed closest to the sliding glass door and got in and then she turned down the covers on the other side and just looked at Tommy.

"I'm not saying you have to sleep in here with me if you aren't comfortable but I promise you, you'll sleep better than you will on that couch," she said, "If you want to shower or anything, the bathroom is right behind you and the towels are in the closet between the bedroom door and the bathroom door. As for me, I'm going back to sleep. After this week and finding out what my mother did, I need sleep." With that she laid down and pulled the covers over her head. Tommy just smiled and shook his head a little. He went back out to the living room and took his shoes off and then took some black lounge pants out of duffle bag and quickly changed. She was already sound asleep when he got into bed next to her and he fought the urge to pull her into his arms and sleep with her spooned up against him, so he lay there with his hands under his head and stared at the ceiling until he started to fall asleep. Just as he started to fall asleep, Kimberly rolled over and cuddled up to him with her head on the right side of his chest and her hand rested right above his heart. He put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Kimberly woke up to louder knocking on her apartment door and groaned. Tommy shifted next to her but didn't wake up. She shook her head. He could sleep through a hurricane. She got up and closed the bedroom door so that she wouldn't disturb him and went to see who was at her front door. There was a key turning in the lock and she felt the panic attack coming on. She quickly grabbed Tommy's duffle bag and tossed it into the closet at the other end of her living room and returned to the door just as it opened to her mother barging in on her.

"Hey sweetheart," she said with a smile, "I hope you don't mind me dropping in but Coach called and said that you had taken some time off and I thought not my Kimberly! You must sick or something."

"I'm not sick Mom" she said, "I just went home for a few days to do some volunteer work." Carol shot a disapproving look and set her luggage down.

"So that's what you're wasting your allowance on," Carol scoffed, "My hard earned money is going to waste so you can run home, no doubt to see that boyfriend of yours. That boy is quicksand, Kimberly Ann and no daughter of mine is going to throw her dreams away for a man that is just going to drag you down."

"Well how could he, Mother," Kimberly all but spat and glowered at her mother, "When you took care of that for me?"

"I beg your pardon," Carol said, crossing her arms over her chest and giving her daughter her best confused yet shocked expression.

"Really," Kimberly said, walking over to her trash can and pulling out two crumpled pieces of paper, flattening them on the counter and then thrusting them into her mother's face, "Then why don't you tell me what kind of monster would do this because I certainly didn't write this and I know Tommy didn't either."

"How would you know whether he did or he didn't," Carol said, refusing to look at the letters. Little did she know that Tommy had been awake since he heard Carol's voice from the door and was listening from the bedroom.

"Number one, that's your handwriting. I'm not that stupid," Kimberly started.

"Clearly that's up for debate since you didn't figure it out for more than a year," Carol scoffed while still refusing to even glance at the papers in Kimberly's hand.

"I've spent the last year somewhere between devastated and too damn busy to take the time and actually look at the evidence that has been right here in front of me the whole time. But you made damn sure that I wouldn't have time to wallow in my loss because you made calls to Coach Schmidt to make sure I was working around the clock," Kimberly snapped.

"If you want to make the Olympics, you have to put the work in," Carol started to argue. Kimberly let out a frustrated growl and threw her hands up.

"Stop behaving like a child, Kimberly. It's very unbecoming," Carol reprimanded. Kimberly whipped around and stared at her mother, shocked at her choice of words.

"I'm acting like a child," Kim said, flabbergasted and Carol nodded, "YOU FABRICATED BREAK UP LETTERS TO RUIN MY RELATIONSHIP AND I'M ACTING LIKE A CHILD! YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME?"

"Stop yelling," Carol said, clearly annoyed but showed no signs of remorse or empathy toward her daughter, "Do you want the neighbors to hear you?"

"I don't care, Mother," Kimberly all but yelled, "I hate it here. I hate my life. I hate what you have done to make this my only option and for that, I don't think I can ever forgive you. Cut me off, disown me, I don't care. I will figure it out all by myself but we are done."

"Stop being ridiculous," Carol said, dropping her arms to her sides and looking her daughter up and down as if she had grown a second head, "You need me and you know you need me."

"I don't need you," Kimberly said, getting so angry that tears were forming in her eyes.

"Really," Carol said, taking a step in her daughter's direction, "Where are you going to go? Without my money, you can't get back to Angel Grove and even if you did, I think I've done a pretty good job of making sure that you have nowhere to go there either." Kimberly looked up, with anger in her eyes and opened her mouth to say something but the bedroom door opened.

"Well, I'm here to tell you how very wrong you are about that," Tommy said, stepping out into the living room.

"What the hell are you doing here," Carol growled.

"Does it really matter," Tommy said, "I'm here and you're not going to treat her like this."

"I think I'LL be the judge of how I treat MY daughter," Carol snapped at Tommy and then looked at Kim, "How dare you bring this trash into the home I pay for behind my back. You filthy whore." With that, Carol slapped her daughter, hard, across the face. Tommy made a move in her direction but Kimberly put a hand up to stop him.

"Get. Out," Kimberly growled and pointed at the door.

"I don't think so," Carol said, "My name is on the lease to this place. If anybody is leaving it's him."

"If he goes, then so do I," Kimberly said, without blinking. She stared her mother down. Carol wasn't budging either. After a minute, Carol let out a frustrated sigh and threw her hands up, wrinkling the green Armani suit she wore.

"Pack what you can fit in your car and you can keep what is in your bank account currently. I'll allow you to take that much," Carol said, spitting a little bit as she spoke and then pointed a finger in her daughter's face, "But mark my words; you will regret this for the rest of your life. And one day when you are destitute and alone, you'll come to me and I will graciously be there but there will be a hefty price for this. I hope he's worth throwing everything you've worked so hard for away."

"He's more than worth it," Kimberly growled, still staring her mother down.

"You have until tomorrow morning to be out of here," Carol snapped and then she turned on her heel and picked up her suitcase and slammed the door behind her like Cruella de Ville. Both Tommy and Kim were surprised that glass didn't shatter or that something didn't fall off the wall.

"Good riddance," Kimberly muttered and then locked the door and leaned up against it with her head in her hands. She started to cry and then her whole body shook with heavy sobs and she sank to the floor with her head in her hands. Tommy went over to her and rubbed her back.

"Hey, it's going to be okay," he said, trying hard to comfort her but her body convulsed with sobs. His heart broke for her. He'd always thought that Kim had had a solid relationship with her mother but he never imagined how anyone could be that cruel. Especially to their own flesh and blood. Still he continued to rub her back, hoping he was at least making this easier for her. He never would have put her in a position to choose between him and family or her career.

"It's not that, Tommy," she said, between sobs, "It's that she can just not give a crap. She doesn't care because in her mind it's me that's betraying her, not the other way around. I'll be fine. I can figure my life out. I can make my own way." Suddenly, the realization that she was free of her mother's tyranny hit her. Her tears stopped and she looked at him. A smile spread across her face. Then she started to laugh.

"What is so funny," Tommy asked, as she lost herself in a fit of giggles.

"Tommy," she said, "I'm free. I'm actually free. She has no control anymore. She can't choose for me. She can't hold anything over my head anymore. I can do what I want for once. I can go where I want. I can…I can be anything, Tommy. I get to make my life mine, for the first time."

"Well I'm glad that you found something positive in this whole thing," he said, a sad smile on his face for only a split second. She looked at him but he had already cast his eyes down at his feet. He sat with his back against the breakfast bar and rested his forearms on his knees. She reached over and took his hand and he looked at her. She moved closer to him and then pushed his hands out of the way and positioned herself so that she was straddling his lap on the floor.

"You are the best thing that I could have gotten out of this situation," she said, holding his face in her hands, "If you still want me?" He brushed hair that had fallen out of her messy bun during her argument with her mother out of her face and caressed her cheek gently.

"Of course I still want you," he said, "I've been miserable without you." She didn't think, she just held his face in her hands and kissed him. He was a little surprised at first but then he slid his hands up her sides and around her back and pressed her close to him. They sat in that position on the floor, just kissing, for a long time. He felt her tears on both of their cheeks as she allowed him to explore her mouth with his tongue. He reached up and brushed them away but more came. He pulled away from her and gave her a genuinely concerned look. She just traced his jaw with her fingers and bit her bottom lip. Her eyes were downcast, so he tilted her chin up to look at him. She leaned back in his lap and lifted her shirt over her and tossed it on the floor. Tommy sucked in a breath for a second and whispered, "Are you sure?" She nodded, biting her bottom lip again and leaned into him and kissed him again. He held her close to him and his hands made their way up her back to the clasp of her lacy pink bra and he fumbled with it for just a second but got it unhooked while she worked his T-shirt up and then he let go of her long enough to take his T-shirt off completely and toss it somewhere. She ran her hands up his chest and watched his eyes while he slid her bra down her arms. She dropped her hands from his chest to allow her bra to fall between them and then she touched her palms to his chest for a second and then she slid them up and wrapped her hands around the back of his neck and kissed him with more passion than she ever had. He pressed her body to his, reveling in the sensation of her bare chest against his. She could feel him getting hard underneath her and she ached to know what he felt like.

"Please, Tommy," she breathed in his ear, "Please. I want you." He didn't need to speak his response; he shifted her in his lap and then proceeded to lay her body down right there on the living room floor. He kissed his way down the front of her body and proceeded to remove her black shorts and black cotton panties. Then he stood to remove his own pajama pants and boxers. She sat up and reached for his hand and then pulled him down, on top of her. She kissed him once and he positioned himself between her legs that she willingly spread open for him and looked at her beautiful doe eyes. She looked back at him, her hands braced against his strong biceps as he propped himself above her on his elbows. One last time he asked her if she was sure. She reached up and pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him her answer. As she opened her mouth to his tongue, he pushed into her. She moaned against his lips as she felt her body stretch, warm and wet, to welcome his hard girth. He felt her body tense as he filled her entirely. He looked at her face for signs of pain and noticed her wince.

"Am I hurting you," he asked quickly, "Do you need me to stop?" She shook her head no. He began to move slowly, easing himself in and out until he was sure she was okay. She kept pace, meeting him thrust for thrust and his eyes never left hers.

"You feel so good," he managed to mutter. She lifted her head enough to kiss his lips and touch his face. He took her hands and held them in his, above her head on the floor and he continued to thrust in and out of her until he felt himself getting close. She felt it too. She brought her knees up and pinned them to his hips and rolled them over so that she was on top. She leaned over and this time she pinned his hands to the floor and kissed his lips and then looked at him as she rode his hardness at an exhilarating pace.

"Oh God," she breathed, "Tommy..." He felt her tighten around his hard cock and he ran his hands up the front of her body while she continued to ride his hardness and took both of her breasts in his hands. He rolled her nipples between his fingers and gave her breasts a gentle squeeze. She leaned over him so that her breast bounced in front of his face as she rode him and he dropped his hands to her hips where he could hold her down and thrust up just a little bit harder. He caught her nipple in his mouth and sucked and teased it with his teeth and his tongue. As he did so, he felt her body tighten and clench around his member and she let out a loud, almost inaudible version of his name as she came around him. She continued to ride him to prolong her orgasm and hopefully bring on his own, that he knew was all too close. He grabbed her hips and thrust upwards into her, causing her to gasp and she leaned forward and he wrapped his arms around her, one hand splayed across her back and the other getting lost in her hair that had fallen out of its messy bun. He kissed her hard, ravishing her mouth with his tongue as he continued to trust into her and then he let out a groan of his own against her open mouth as he filled her with his explosion. She fell onto his chest in a sweaty heap and he lay with his arms limply wrapped around her, both breathing as hard as they would be if they had just run a mile.

"That...was...amazing," he huffed. She nodded her response, still breathing heavily.

"I've wanted you for so long, Tommy," she said, as her breathing started to slow, "I don't ever want to be without you again. This last year and a half has been so miserable."

"I'm never letting you go," he said, tightening his hold on her naked body that was still positioned on top of him. He was still firmly inside her. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to be away from him, didn't want to stop touching him. They were connected, not just physically but she felt it in her soul. Everything about them just felt perfect and this moment felt more than right to her. He didn't say it, but he was feeling the same. This wasn't high school puppy love. This was something bigger. Something most people don't ever find and he was determined to hold on with two hands this time and never let go. He turned his head and kissed her forehead, causing her to look up at him from where she was laying on his chest. She smiled and moved up so she could kiss his lips again. In the midst of the kiss, he sat up and wrapped his arms under her body and picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, where he laid her down and made love to her body with his mouth until they were both ready to go again. They spent the afternoon and the better part of the evening making love between naps and just lying in each other's embrace.

"For as much as I don't want to move or ruin this," he finally said while rubbing her back, "we only have a few hours to get everything packed into your car before your mom comes back."

"I know," she said, "Oddly enough, I'm kind of looking forward to it but can we shower first?" Then she kissed his chest where her head had been and then kissed his lips and then got up to start their task.

* * *

After packing all of her belongings into her car and a small trailer they were able to hitch to the back, Kimberly slipped her set of keys into the leasing office mailbox and made the brisk walk back to the car where Tommy sat waiting. Halfway there, another car pulled up next to hers and stopped. She recognized the vehicle as that of Coach Schmidt's and wondered if he were here to try and talk her out of leaving.

"Coach," Kim said, as she neared her car.

"Kimberly, I'm glad I caught you before you left," he began, "your mother called me earlier and told me that you were leaving us."

"I am," she responded, "it's what is best for me, right now. My mother doesn't see it that way, but..." Her sentence was left unfinished as Coach Schmidt held up his hand to stop her.

"Listen," he said, in his heavy German accent, "your mother paid me a great deal of extra money to keep you here and to keep you working as much as you have been. I know how hard it has been for you. I know that she has been ruthless when it came to her dream for you. I also know that you have been very unhappy." Kimberly gave him a small smile and nodded slightly and he continued, "I may be old but I'm not blind. I knew you were special from the moment I met you. You deserve every happiness, child. I know she will make it hard for you after this but I wanted to give you something." Kimberly stood there, a little shocked that her Coach had cared as much as he had expressed. He never let on that he had any emotional attachment to any of the girls, especially her. He went to his car and pulled out a large yellow envelope, that looked like it was stuffed beyond capacity.

"Take this with you. There's a letter inside. You'll understand," he said and surprised her again with an emotional hug, "you take care of yourself, now. If you ever change your mind, you always have a place here." He sniffled a little as he let go of her and she noticed that his eyes glistened with tears threatening to fall.

"Thank you," she said, holding the envelope in one hand and his hand with her other, "for everything, Coach." He smiled and touched her cheek the way that a father would his daughter, nodded his acceptance of her thanks and her departure, gave her hand a squeeze and walked away. She got in the car where Tommy waited and nodded at him when he asked if she was ready to go. He started the car and with that, they were on their way to Angel Grove. They were going home.


	3. Chapter 3

"What's in the envelope," Tommy asked as he guided the car onto the interstate.

"Let's find out," she said and began to open it. She found stacks of cash that were tied with money ribbons. She left it and pulled out a smaller envelope. She opened it and began to read.

"Dearest Kimberly,

I've known for some time now that you have been incredibly unhappy here. Your mother paid me much more than my usual fees to have you here. I saved every cent of extra money because I knew that one day you would leave us and break away from her hugging tyrant hold on you. You'll find that money and a little extra that I could afford you in this envelope. You'll also find your coaching license in this envelope. If you remember, I had you take a written exam months ago and return it to me. I pulled some strings and was allowed to administer the test to you myself. Your license is national and you can coach anywhere. I've enclosed several letters of reference so that you may find a job upon your return home. If you need anything further, don't hesitate to call. Best of luck to you.

Coach Schmidt"

Inside she found everything he had promised and she just looked at Tommy, completely stunned.

"What," he asked, as she had read the letter to herself.

"He saved all of the extra money my mom had paid him and gave it to me," she marveled, "and he got me my coaching license and letters of reference so I can find a job. I can't believe it!"

"That's incredible, Kim," Tommy replied excitedly.

"I didn't know he cared so much," she half whispered, still in awe of the gesture her Coach made.

"I'm glad he did what he did for you," Tommy said, "It gives you a cushion to start out on." She let out a sigh and watched Florida race past them as they made their way toward Georgia.

They took turns driving that first day but by the time they had made it to Jackson, Mississippi it was time to sleep. They found a cheap motel off of the interstate that was situated next to a twenty four hour Waffle House.

"Well, shall we," Tommy suggested, pointing the way to their room.

"We shall," she laughed, taking his hand and letting him guide the way. He found the room and unlocked it and turned on the light when he got in the door.

"Whoa," he chuckled looking at the teal and gold embellished Gatsby Art Deco covered walls. It was a sea of teal and gold palm fans was the best way to describe it and the bed spread looked like a flower shop had vomited on the bed and then painted over it in gold.

"Well, this is..." Kim began, rubbing the textured wallpaper and then just busted up laughing, "the ugliest room I have very seen." She doubled over and lost herself in a fit of giggles. Tommy smiled, chuckling as he was filled with her infectious laughter.

"I'd have to agree," he chortled.

"It doesn't matter," she yawned, "it's a bed and I don't know about you but I am beat." He set their bags down and she kicked her flip flops off and sat on the bed to take her jeans off. Tommy took his lounge pants from the bag on the floor and handed her a pair of her pajama bottoms. She took them and slipped them on and then got up and turned down the bed.

"I'm gonna go shower," he told her and she just nodded and went over to her bag and found her Polaroid camera in there.

"Hey," she said and he popped his head out of the bathroom, "I have an idea..." He smiled when she held up the Polaroid. She hopped on the bed and he came over and she leaned into him holding it out in front of them.

"No," he said and put his arm around her and tickled her a little and they fell backward into the bed where he held the camera above them and snapped a picture and then she turned her head and looked at him, still giggling and their hair splashed across the bedspread and he snapped another. Then another when he looked at her and met her eyes and then another when he pulled her in closer and kissed her soft lips. The photos fell like leaves in the fall around them as they lost themselves in their kiss. She reached across him and bunched his shirt in her tiny fist and shifted onto her side, facing him fully. He cupped her face in his hand and brushed her hair back as he kissed her.

"Come join me," he begged against her lips and she gave a moan filled sigh and let him lead her off the bed and into the bathroom, already steamy from the shower he had turned on.

"Let's try to make it to Albuquerque before we stop," she suggested over their breakfast at 6am.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed, finishing his waffle. She took a sip of her coffee and then the last bite of her eggs and looked around for their waitress. She didn't see her so she turned her head to look out the window where the rain was threatening. He had just moved his plate to the end of the table and looked at her. The sadness in her eyes made his heart sink.

"You okay," he asked softly, breaking her from the staring contest she was having with her reflection. She looked at him and gave him a nod.

"I'm just so hurt," she said, "I can't believe she just doesn't care. I'm trying hard not to dwell on it but she's my mom and she just doesn't give a fuck. I just don't understand it." Tommy reached across the table and took her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I wish I could give you some advice but I don't know what to say," he sighed, honestly.

"I know, Tommy," she replied. She opened her mouth to say something else but there was an old, familiar beeping that cut her off. Tommy let out a sigh and nodded to the door. Kim nodded back and went to pay for their breakfast while Tommy found a place outside to respond to his communicator.

"Hey," he said catching her arm as she came out of the restaurant.

"Do you have to go," she asked, but already knew the answer. The look he wore was pained. He didn't want to leave her but he couldn't leave his team to fight without him. Why did Divatox pick this God awful hour of the morning to start a fight?

"Go," she said, "I'll be fine."

"You sure," he asked, touching the side of her face gently. She rubbed his forearm and looked down for a minute and bit her bottom lip.

"Yeah," she answered, looking up at him, "I'm sure." He leaned in and kissed her before backing into the shadows and disappearing in a flash of red light. She let out a sigh she hadn't realized she'd been holding in and then turned to walk back to the hotel and gather their things and check out.

Kimberly drove for hours, passed dusk and into the night. She'd stopped for gas and food when she needed but other than that pressed on. By midnight she knew she needed to find a hotel before she fell asleep driving. She worried about her friends and what kind of horror Divatox had subjected them too. She hadn't heard from Tommy and he hadn't come back but she expected that. She knew he wouldn't know where she was after she started moving. She let out a yawn and internally rejoiced as she saw city lights ahead and signs for a Best Western. She pulled off the highway at the next exit and made her way to the hotel. Before she knew it, she was crashing into a cozy queen sized bed and falling asleep.

Tommy paced the floor of the Command Center and waited for the rest of his team to finish changing. He was anxious to get back to Kimberly and worried about her on the road, alone. Divatox was on the rampage and there was no telling what lengths she would go to for revenge over her ruined nuptials.

"I know you're worried, Tommy," Zordon acknowledged, "But I assure you, Kimberly is safe and I have been monitoring her." Tommy turned to the viewing globe to see her sweet face, asleep in a hotel room. At least she wasn't driving.

"Thanks, Zordon," Tommy sighed, relieved but only a little.

"You're welcome Tommy," Zordon said, "You and the other Rangers should go home and get some sleep. Divatox is unpredictable and we can expect she will attack again. You all need to be at your best."

"Zordon, can't you send me back to Kim," Tommy asked, his tone pleading, "I don't want to leave her in the middle of nowhere alone."

"Tommy, you now you can't use the power for personal gain. I will monitor Kimberly and alert you all if she is in danger," Zordon replied, much to Tommy's chagrin.

"She'll be okay, Tommy," Katherine promised, "She's far enough away that we shouldn't have to worry."

"But she'll be here soon," Tommy worries, "If Divatox..."

"We won't let that happen," Adam finished.

"Thanks guys," Tommy nodded, but still felt uneasy. With that, Alpha teleported the Rangers home for much needed sleep. Although, Tommy couldn't sleep at all. He just tossed and turned, worried about Kimberly alone in a hotel in the middle of nowhere.

"Well, well poor Tommy can't sleep," Divatox scoffed, "What's keeping him up? Oooohh, he's worried about that pink powder puff. Hmmmm...let's see what we can do about that."

Kimberly's alarm went off way to early and she groaned. The sun wasn't even up yet. What made her think she could drive on so little sleep? Maybe after breakfast she'd be okay. She took her time getting out bed and showered. She got dressed and headed down to the lobby for the continental breakfast they had. She sat eating oatmeal and a muffin with a pen and notebook. For the first time in a long time, she was writing music again. But it didn't last that long before she realized that it was getting late and she needed to get on the road. If she was lucky, she'd make it to Angel Grove by the time night fell.

Tommy stretched and reached for his communicator on the bedside table. He put it on and threw the blankets off of him and sat up. He hoped that Divatox would lay off today but who really knew if evil slept.

Kimberly had driven most of the day and was just outside of Angel Grove when she needed to stop for gas one last time before making it home. She was exhausted and she stumbled into the gas station to pay for her pump and grab some serious caffeine. She handed the clerk her cash and he handed back her change. She bid him goodnight and headed out to the car to fill up.

"What the hell," she muttered to herself when she heard some noise in the background.

"Well, well, well, look what the cat dragged in," a sultry voice hissed from the darkness. Kimberly dropped into a defensive stance and looked around nervously.

"Who's there," she called.

"Your worst nightmare," the voice growled and Kimberly screamed as a black mist came at her from the dark. Her car keys and soda hit the pavement, Pepsi spurting all over the place and she stumbled back. She tripped over the gas pump hoses and crashed to the ground, smacking the back of her head hard on the pavement. She groaned and rolled slightly onto her side. Blood pooled around her head like a morbid halo as she lay there. The cackle that left the alien pirates throat was enough to make anyone's skin crawl. Her boots clicked as she left her place in the shadows and bent over Kimberly's unconscious form.

"Sweet Dreams," Divatox giggled and swiftly kicked Kimberly hard in the lower abdomen. The force of the kick rolled her back onto her back. Divatox knelt next to her and grabbed Kim's face in her pleather covered hands and sneered at her.

"I think we should make this a little bit more permanent, don't you," she asked, looking up at the dark clouded entity that had come out of the dark at Kimberly. It nodded where it floated. Divatox took a knife from her belt and plunged it into the pink ranger's abdomen. She left it there and disappeared in a flash with her non corporeal partner in crime.


End file.
